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Travel to China: Must-see places

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The gate to the Forbidden City at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the scene of an alleged terrorist attack on Oct. 28. This is the only poster of Mao we saw in our visit. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth and Franklin Kury)

Here are a few places you should put on your must-see list during any visit to China:

Lingyin Buddhist Temple in Hangzhou. The temple is a compound of buildings with statues of Buddha, relics and documents, and is open to the public. You can observe Buddhists offering sacrifices of food and burning large incense sticks. With about 280 million members, Buddhism is the largest religion in China.

Song Park Theater's production of "Give Me One Night and I Will Give you 1,000 Years." In a Cirque de Soleil style and scale, this extravaganza relates the legends of the Song Dynasty, such as the "Blue Snake and White Snake.

Three Gorges Project at Yichang on the Yangtze River. It's the world's largest engineering project, which includes the great dam and ship locks, and is a spectacular site.

Terracotta warriors at Xian. Standing as part of an emperor's tomb to protect him in the afterlife, there are 1,000 life-size soldiers who are unforgettable. Each has a unique face.

Skywalk 100 on top of the Shanghai World Financial Center. At 1,552 feet above ground, this is the highest observatory in the world. The view down and out is incredible and the tower is stunning architectural and technological success.

Birds Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. Designed with the help of Chinese artist Wei Wei, a well-known dissident, the stadium draws large crowds of sightseers.